Stuffing-box lock and rod-lubricator.



UNITED 'sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

WILLIAM SMITH, OF OIL CITY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO JAY THORNTON BARNSDALL, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .T'uly 24, 1906.

Application sied septeniber 5, 1905. sommo. 277.022.

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oil City, in the county of Venango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stuffing-Box Locks and Piston-Rod Lubricators, of which the following is a specification.

In steam-operated air-pumps for railway air-brakes as heretofore constructed considerable difliculty has been experienced in keeping tight the packing-nuts of the stuffing-boxes through which passes the rod connecting the pistons of the steam and air cylinders.

The principal obj ect of this invention is to provide a lock for these nuts which is simple in construction and effective in operation and which can be readily applied to the airpumps as now constructed.

My invention has the further object to combine with said nut-lock means for conveniently lubricating said piston-rod between said cylinders.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of an air-pump for railway-brakes, showing iny invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof in line 2 2, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

A represents the steam-cylinder, and B the air-cylinder, of a steam air-pum which are arranged end to end one above tiie other and which form part of the brake system of a railway-train. The opposing heads of these cylinders are connected, as usual, by a crescentshaped neck c. D represents the piston-rod, which extends through stufIing-boxes E E in these heads and is connected at its upper and lower ends with the pistons a b, arranged, respectively,in the steam and air cylinders, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l. Each of these stuffing-boxes is constructed substantially like those now in use and has its packing-nut f provided on its peripherywithaplurality of longitudinal recesses or seats g.

H H represent longitudinal locking-bars, which are arranged parallel to the piston-rod and engage at opposite ends with corresponding notches of the packing-nuts of both stuffing-boxes, the two locking-bars being preferably engaged with the two packing-nuts on diametrically opposite sides thereof, as shown in the drawings. When these locking-'bars are a plied to the packing-nuts, the latter` are inter ocked. Inasmuch as the threads of both these nuts run in the same direction any tendency of one nut to unscrew and become loose is resisted by the other nut, which tends to tighten when moved in that direction. Each of these nuts therefore serves as an anchor or abutment for the coupling device Which connects the same with the other packing-nut, whereby these nuts are effectually prevented from backing up and becoming loose.

I represents a crescent or bow shaped spring arranged adjacent to the space between the ends of both stuffing-boxes and connected at o posite ends with the central parts of the loc `ng-bars.

The locking-bars are held in the recesses of the acking-nuts solely by the contraction or resi ience of the bow-spring I, which connects the same. The seats or recesses in the packing-nuts are of such depth and length that when the locking-bars are seated in the same these bars are retained in parallel relation to each other and to the axis of the nuts.

When it is desired to turn the acking-nuts forward for tightening the st g-boxes or unscrewin these nuts when access is desired to the stu 'ng-boxes, the locking-bars can be readily disengaged from these nuts byspreading or separating the outer ends of the bowspring sufliciently for this drip-lise.

In order to revent the oc g-bars from -m'oving lengt wise to such an extent as,

would disengage either end thereof from the one or the other packing-nut, these rods are made of such a length that their ends terminate close to the op osin heads of the steam and air cylinders wien t ese bars are in their o erative position, as shown in Fig. 1. s shown in the drawings, the bow-spring of the locking device is placed between the pistonrod and the neck c; but, if desired, the same may be placed in front of the piston-rod. n

It has been found by experience that it 1s very dicult to keep the piston-rod roperly oiled and free from dust and grit w ere the same is exposed between the stuffing-boxes of the steam and air cylinders through which the rod slides. A lubricating device is there-A fore provided, which is so constructed and combined with the nut-lock that these two devices can be simultaneously applied to and IOS removed from the piston-rod and the packingnuts. This lubricatin device comprises a swab of fibrous materia composed of two sections J J, which are placed on opposite sides of the piston-rod between the stuffing-boxes, and two curved sprin -jaws K K, which carry said swab-sections. ach of the jaws is provided at itsouter end with a fingerieee Z, and its inner end is connected with t e central part of the bow-s rin of the nut-lock. These two jaws are pre erab y formed out of a single stripxof spring metal, and -thesame are secured to the spring-bow by riveting, .as shown. The lubricating-swab is .saturated with o'il, whereby the piston-rod .in sliding past the same is lubricated constantly and at the same time anydirt or dust which maybe deposited is removed, thereby maintaining the same in the highest state of efficiency.

2o 'The lubricating-'band lpreferably consists yof pieces of wicking, whic are wrapped around the jaws several times and then held in place by the,pressure of the spring-j aws, which hold them against opposite sides of the piston-rod. The jaws maybe easily opened bymeans ofathe 'finger-pieces to permit of applying the swabsections to the-same or removing them therefrom.

I claim as my invention- 1. Alocking device for the opposing packing-nuts of twopiston-rod stuffing-boxes comyprising 5a coupling Amember interlocked with oth `of said packingnuts, substantially asj i ing a pair ofcoupling-bars arranged'on opposet forth.

2. A locking device for the opposingpacking-nuts of two kton-.rod stuffing-boxes comi l lling-bar adapted to interlock l with both of said packing-nuts by engaging. opposite ends of the 'bar withrecessesor seats l rising a cou in the acking-nuts, substantially as set forth.

locking device for theopposing. acking-nuts of two piston rod stuffingoXes comprising a coup 1 with recesses or seats inboth of said ackmgnuts, and a spring for yieldingly holdin said barin its operative position, substantia ly as set forth.

4. Alocking device for the opposing ack- 'ing-nuts of two piston-rod stuffing-boxes comprising two coupling-bars arranged to en'- ng-bar adapted to engage vlocking' the opposing `nuts of two stuflingboxes through which-said lrod ,passes comrising a coupling member engaging with both of said nuts, and-a .lubricating :member engaging with said rod and connected with said coupling member, substantially as set forth.

7. A device for lubricating a :piston-rod and locking the opposing -nuts of-two stuffingboxes through which said rod passes comprising acoupling member engaging with both of said nuts, a fibrous swab engaging with said rod between said stuHing-boxes,.and a clamping deviceengaging ,with said swab and connected with said coupling member, substantially as set forth.

8. A device for ylubricating a piston-rod and lockingthe o posing nuts of two stuffingboXes through w `ch said rod passes comprissite sides of said nuts andeach engaging at its ends with corresponding recesses in said nuts, a bow-spring connecting the central 4parts of saidbars, swab-sections engaging with-said rod between said stuffing-boxes, and two springjaws arranged on opposite sides Vof said rod and carrying said swab-sectionsand vconnected with the central part of said spring, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 29th day of August, 1905.

WILLIAM H. SMITH.

Witnesses z THEO. L. PoPP., MAY E. McAn'rHUn. 

